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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 15 Jul 2024, 07:55
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A.gambhir
Would I be able to use my earlier GMAT classic score for AWA and the new Focus score otherwise?

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I don’t think so. Usually you cannot combine different test attempts And also, if you have a low score with good essay, that’s going to interfere with your chances.

Finally, It’s cheaper to write the assessment than to send an additional score report….

I would say there are good reasons to believe that you cannot do that and also you should not do that.
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 15 Jul 2024, 07:57
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LamboWalker
Well, chineseburned's guide will continue to live more many years to come.

Does anyone know if schools will accept a higher GMAT Focus score coupled with a higher AWA score in an old GMAT score?
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I have already responded to this question twice 😇 and The short answers most likely a no.

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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 15 Jul 2024, 07:57
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IshtarthUmesh
I was planning on taking GMAT FE in 1/2 weeks time, should I write it now or not?
Also I haven't prepared for GRE. If I switch now it doesn't make sense.
Please advice
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Why would you switch? Why?

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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 15 Jul 2024, 09:03
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bb

IshtarthUmesh
I was planning on taking GMAT FE in 1/2 weeks time, should I write it now or not?
Also I haven't prepared for GRE. If I switch now it doesn't make sense.
Please advice
Why would you switch? Why?

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­Since as you mentioned earlier that colleges will soon start to accept GMAT along with AWA. 
So was in confusion weather to write or not
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 15 Jul 2024, 16:01
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GMAT...never fails to annoy :)

Fast forward 10 years...MBAs speak/write poor grammar...and SC makes a comeback :)
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 15 Jul 2024, 16:08
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IshtarthUmesh
bb

IshtarthUmesh
I was planning on taking GMAT FE in 1/2 weeks time, should I write it now or not?
Also I haven't prepared for GRE. If I switch now it doesn't make sense.
Please advice
Why would you switch? Why?

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­Since as you mentioned earlier that colleges will soon start to accept GMAT along with AWA. 
So was in confusion weather to write or not
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I cannot imagine any scenario on that would make sense of your plan to abandon something you’ve prepared for and run to completely different test just because you may have to write an essay. I cannot see a logical argument for why GRE would make more sense for you.
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 16 Jul 2024, 02:54
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­I do not understand this.­
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 16 Jul 2024, 10:18
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bbb1923
­I do not understand this.­
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­
Yes, this looks pretty messy including GMAT 10th edition. Is that what GMAT Classic was called? GMAT 10th edition? 🤦‍♂️
Seems very strange that the same test cannot be used for those wiht and without English instruction. This is even crazier! Thanks for pointing it out!­

P.S. I am thinking what they say is that if you had to take TOEFL, then it would be as good as the writing assessment but if you do not have to take TOEFL/Other English test you must take the Business Assessment, meaning you can't use TOEFL as an alternative to business writing but HBS can :-)
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 17 Jul 2024, 05:42
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I think the easier explanation is that the matched the question and answer wrong. haha
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 17 Jul 2024, 05:44
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bb Do you think other b school would follow HBS and require Gmat writing in application? (at least as optional).
Second Question. The target score for writing should be at least 5 in your opinion?
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 17 Jul 2024, 19:23
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I would be pretty surprised if a lot of schools followed HBS's lead. Most schools are not interested in making it harder for people to apply. There's huge competition between the schools for the best students.

Also: GMAC was literally started and is owned by a consortium of business schools (https://www.gmac.com/about-us). The member schools were definitely involved in the decision to drop the AWA in the first place. I'm guessing that GMAC is seriously annoyed by HBS's decision. (I know I am, so I can only imagine how annoyed they are! 😒)

So, my best speculation is that HBS is doing what it's doing because...it's HBS. They can do whatever they want and everyone* will still apply. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ They don't need to worry about losing applicants—they already get a ridiculous number as it is. And MIT has also always moved to the beat of their own drummer as well.

I will add that HBS has been very clear that you do not need to take the BWA (the new name is the Business Writing Assessment) unless and until you're invited to interview. So I would view it this way: Don't worry about it now. If you're invited to interview, then YAY, you were invited to interview!! 😎

And then spend a couple of hours prepping for this thing and take it. Aim for a score of 5 or higher, just as in the old days. You don't need a perfect score—they're not going to give preference to someone who scores a 6 vs. a 5. You just need to show that you can communicate decently in an extemporaneous format. The actual decision will come down to other much more important factors.

(*Just a thought: Remember how your parents nagged you not to do something just because everyone else was doing it? That might be good advice to consider as you decide where to apply to b-school, too...)
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 17 Jul 2024, 20:46
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Thank you Stacey!

You are correct! HBS has clarified their stance that the business writing assignment will be required only for those who are invited to interview. (or perhaps it was always clear and I just happened to miss it). And yes, I think HBS basically says we will do what we need. It is nice to see they are kind of playing ball though but not sure how nicely.

P.S. In terms of schools being the founding members of the GMAC - yes, but those schools also hamstrung GMAC by going to accept GRE, MCAT, LSAT, and generously waive any kind of a GMAT requirement. It seems the relationship evolved over the years.
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 17 Jul 2024, 21:07
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bbb1923
bb Do you think other b school would follow HBS and require Gmat writing in application? (at least as optional).
Second Question. The target score for writing should be at least 5 in your opinion?
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­
bbb1923 - Sloan is the only other one that showed up in the search results of GMAC Business Writing Assessment + School Name among the M7's
you can learn more about their requirements here: 

https://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba/admissions ... -questions­
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! Updated on: 23 Jul 2024, 10:08
Originally posted by mcelroytutoring on 18 Jul 2024, 07:52.
Last edited by mcelroytutoring on 23 Jul 2024, 10:08, edited 8 times in total.
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Thanks for sharing the news, bb. Just when we thought AWA was dead...it's back, albeit with a different name! Apparently, human writing ability still matters to some MBA programs.

For those who are dreading this development, at least the new writing assessment is now separate from the GMAT itself, as has been the case on the LSAT for many years—and is only required if you are invited to interview at either of these prestigious institutions.

As an English nerd, I must admit that I am happy to read Harvard’s (and now, MIT’s) announcement. Yes, ChatGPT has made writing boring, everyday business emails mostly unnecessary—but the ability to write and communicate with others in a clear, concise, and persuasive way (the kind of copy you might find on a company website, or explaining the correct answer to a complicated GMAT question here on GMAT Club) is still an essential component to the success of any business and/or employee, one that it should be equally evaluated alongside ones' multiple-choice Data Insights, Verbal, and Quant skills. That's why the GRE and the LSAT still require writing assessments.

Obviously, the MBA admission essays do not count as acceptable substitutes, since these essays are usually vetted by AI and/or experts before being submitted. Thus, here we are.­
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 18 Jul 2024, 08:06
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Quote:
P.S. In terms of schools being the founding members of the GMAC - yes, but those schools also hamstrung GMAC by going to accept GRE, MCAT, LSAT, and generously waive any kind of a GMAT requirement. It seems the relationship evolved over the years.
Show more

Agreed—but I think this behavior is still consistent with the overall goal. Schools will do what it takes to attract the greatest number of applicants; that's why they were ok with dropping the essay and why they started accepting the GRE* in the first place. They wanted to get people who hadn't initially thought about b-school and had already taken the GRE—I'm sure they did surveys showing that a lot of those people didn't seriously consider an MBA because they didn't want to have to take a second exam.

* There's also another fun little backstory here. ETS, the makers of the GRE, also used to be responsible for writing test questions for the GMAT. In 2005/2006, they lost the contract to ACT (makers of the ACT). It wasn't until after that happened that schools started accepting the GRE.

I don't know in what sequence things happened behind the scenes. Maybe ETS was already lobbying schools to accept the GRE and that's why they lost the GMAC contract. Or maybe they only thought of this after they lost the contract.

Always makes me wonder whether this never would have happened if ETS had kept that contract...
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 18 Jul 2024, 10:51
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Quote:
­If you only submitted the GMAT Focus, which lacks a writing section, HBS will contact you at the interview stage about taking the separate GMAC Business Writing Assessment. If you wish to take the GMAC Business Writing Assessment before knowing your interview status, you will be able to do so beginning July 2024. Because the written application has opportunities to showcase your writing abilities (e.g. essays, short answers), you will not be at a disadvantage if you do not include the GMAC Business Writing Assessment before you are invited to interview.
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Looks like yes, it will be required if GMAT Focus taken, but only if they already want to interview you based on all the other application materials. So I personally will not be taking it unless invited based on this quote from the HBS website.

Sloan's language is more ambiguous, but it sounds like it might be the same.
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 18 Jul 2024, 11:15
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–Do I need to submit a separate writing assessment if I took the GMAT Focus?Writing is an essential component of the MBA program. Therefore, to be admitted to HBS all students must have an official writing assessment. You can satisfy this with a valid GRE, GMAT (10th Edition), or English language test score. If you only submitted the GMAT Focus, which lacks a writing section, HBS will contact you at the interview stage about taking the separate GMAC Business Writing Assessment (to be released July 2024).This was given in HBS website.. so if i submit Gmat Focus and English Language Test Score -- "IELTS". Do I still need to submit Business Writing Assessment?­
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 18 Jul 2024, 11:19
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Based on the Harvards language, you do not need to submit an additional business writing assessment as long as you are required to submit TOEFL as a part of the application application.


Bhargu999
–Do I need to submit a separate writing assessment if I took the GMAT Focus?Writing is an essential component of the MBA program. Therefore, to be admitted to HBS all students must have an official writing assessment. You can satisfy this with a valid GRE, GMAT (10th Edition), or English language test score. If you only submitted the GMAT Focus, which lacks a writing section, HBS will contact you at the interview stage about taking the separate GMAC Business Writing Assessment (to be released July 2024).This was given in HBS website.. so if i submit Gmat Focus and English Language Test Score -- "IELTS". Do I still need to submit Business Writing Assessment?­
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 18 Jul 2024, 11:24
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­Thankyou so much bb..­
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AWA Essay is Coming Back - Doh! 20 Jul 2024, 03:11
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­GMAC is becoming a joke literally. Do they not talk with all these top B schools when changing the exam pattern. If the schools were okay with it earlier, why the need of it again now? Such a mindless move. The uniformity is gonna become a joke with this. If AWA comes back to the GFE then the cutting down of time would have no meaning left. Also, ChatGPT has been here since quite some time now.
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